The weekly sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1887-05-05
WINsTON-sAL1EM, N Co.. THURSDAY, 1887.

,, THURSDAY, MAY 5, L
TO TENNESSEE AFOOT.
A PEDESTRIAN TOUR THROUGH
NORTHWESTERN CAROLINA.
Entertaining Description of a Portion |
of Our State About Which Little Has
Heretofore Been Written.
BY PROF. L. B. wURREsCHKE.
PAPER NO. III. |
Soon after passing Fishers River
we make halt for dinner; it was but |
place in the woods, rather elevated,
with an open view on one side. 1 had
to make the fire whilst my boy cleaned
the fish which he had caught. Then
we roasted them on the Goals, as the
Disciples did, when the Lord unex-
pectedly met them after his resurrec-
ton, and then we ate them, and picked
some huckleberries for desert All
the time we had heard the mutte1ing
and grumbling of the thunder around
us; its growing stronger reminded US
of our being yet good many miles
from Dobson: which we wanted to
reach. We did reach it at last safely,
a pleasant, clean, well laid out. but
indeed very small and insignificant
sort of a place. The hotel, Turner's
house, where we put up, we found
very nice and pleasant; the charges
also were very moderate indeed. It
made me vince little, when / Incl
dentally heard from a colored woman
on inquiry about milk, that milk was
very high in price now, as much as
20 cents per gallon. When we came
to Ashe county we could understand
this little better, for there the best
kind of milk is held at only 10 cents
per gallon, and no trade at that price
either.
The view of the Blue Ridge from
Dobson is beautiful; the whole panor-
anna seems to be rolled out before you,
while you view it leisurely from an
open and elevated position. The next
day we started before Z, walked eight
miles on ridge road through another
grand park and came to Mitchell's
River at Capp's store and mills. Here
we made a lengthy stay. The scenery
again was Delightfully."- beautiful, and
while my son was fshing-catching
our dinner in fact-under an immense
beech tree on sort of peninsuala jut-
ting out into the river, I myself sat
on the marrow picturesque bridge,
kind of compound footlog, and began
in earnest my efforts at sketching from
nature. / have brought back some
20 sketches in all from our trip, which,
if they are even no works Of art, yet
will help to remind me of past scenes,
and a few happy days, as long as 1
live. Three miles further on we come
to bright little creek, called Brushy
Fork, as a friendly native informed us,
who kindly walked with us good piece.
Here, on this clear little stream, our
dinner operations of yesterday, namely,
; fish roasted ON the Goals, minus the
desert of huckleberries, were repeated.
The name of Cochrane seems to spread
over this district We came across it
again and again. One man of that
name had standing before his house
an immense white pine, a very giant
: of the forest, but the tree was quite
dead, though otherwise uninjured,
having been struck by lightning some
years ago. We arrive at last in the
afternoon at the foot Of the Blue
, Ridge and put up at the house of
Squire Phinly Gentry. Here is q
we'll SO feet deep. From the porch
of the house one can see exactly in the
f east the very characteristic outline of
the Pilot mountain, the last we shall
see of him for some time. The whole
evening through we saw constant and
heavy lightning far to the east. We
l thoug ght it mig ght have been over Sa-
r lem. 1t was Thursday, the Sth of July
(, The next day we ascended the Blue
!. Ridge by the Roaring Gap. In doing
{. so we had to cross and to recross the
county line between Wilkes and Surry
counties, and at last we landed in
Allegheny county. Here the usual
experience in ascending the Blue
! Ridge, namely, that ones ascent is not
! followed by'any marked descent, in
: fact one has entered on grand pla.
teau, and on that plateau we remained
for several weeks, until at last we again
/ descended some weeks later from
Blowing Rock into Caldwell county
:, It feels delightful to travel along on
f this plateau; the air is pure and invig
= Grating In spite of the warm sunshine
n and there is an abundance of the fresh
t est and purest water.
|. At Cherry Lane, before nice farm
t house, surrounded by fresh meadows
looking as clean as lawn before any
f gentleman's country house, we get ont
q half gallon of the best kind Of milk
, for which we are charged FIVE cents